Her eyes narrow. “I can tell this is going to be fun.”
I wink at her and we climb out the car. Even though the car park is clear of snow, the pathways are all icy. I’m kind of hoping she slips so I can catch her. And then hold her up. And not let go.
Fucking hell! I’m doing what Alec did and turning into a pu**y whipped ass.
I snap myself out of it and watch Jen pick her steps on the least icy bits. She accidentally slips on a bit of black ice, and my arm shoots out behind her, curling around her perfect waist and pulling her close to me.
“I’ve got you,” I whisper in her ear. She nods and puts a hand on my chest, her long blue nails a stark burst of colour against my black coat.
“You’ve got me,” she whispers back, slightly breathless.
“Hold on tight, and don’t let go,” I give her my arm, and she grips it like a lifeline, leaning into me.
“I won’t,” she replies as I grab a trolley.
Silently, a part of me is wishing the conversation had a totally different meaning.
We walk into the supermarket and she finally takes her hood down revealing her blonde locks. She shakes her hair out and digs into her pocket.
“Shopping list,” she smiles sheepishly at me. “If I don’t have a list and stick to it, I tend to buy a load of unhealthy crap I don’t need.”
“I blame my sister,” I mumble. “She’s always been Miss I Want It Now.”
“Yep, shopping with her is a nightmare.”
She picks some bread off the shelf, followed by muffins, and drops them into the trolley.
“Double chocolate chip muffins?” I question.
“Necessary evil.” She smacks her lips together.
“If it’s evil, then why buy it?”
“You really don’t want me to answer that question.” She plucks her way through the fruit and veg section. I think there’s a bit of everything going in the trolley.
“If I didn’t want to know, I wouldn’t ask.”
She shrugs her shoulders and hooks her fingers round the trolley, directing it down another aisle.
The women’s aisle.
“Um,” I manage.
“You said you wanted to know!” She giggles and puts a box of tampons in the trolley. I’m pretty sure I look like a deer in headlights.
Hell no. I did not sign up for buying little mice you insert into your body.
“Are we done in the, uh…” I cough slightly. “Ladies aisle?”
“I’m not sure....” Jen taps a finger against her lips in a steady rhythm. Attention? Diverted.
Her tongue snakes out and runs across her top lip, sticking to the side as she reaches up for a can of deodorant. I let go of the trolley and get it for her, putting it in her hand.
“Thank you,” she smiles.
“No, thank you for buying it,” I wink at her. “I could smell you from where I was stood.”
She drops back from her tiptoes, and levels a glare at me. “If I were you I’d watch it, Samuel, before you and my tampons get acquainted. Very, very acquainted.”
“Sounds kinky.” I start walking again.
“You are so disturbed I don’t even have any words to respond to that.”
“You have no words? Wow. You’re speechless. I feel kinda special right now.”
“Oh, honey, you are special.” She puts milk in the trolley and puts her hand on my arm. “You’re window licking special.”
One side of my mouth curves up in a half grin and my eyes wash over her face. Her eyes are wide with faux innocence, her lips puckered in the smile she’s trying and failing to keep off her face. She raises an eyebrow and reaches behind me for some whipped cream. She looks down and reads the ingredients on the back, her hand sliding down the can.
I’m jealous of whipped cream. I want to punch the can and kick its ass kind of jealous. What the f**k is wrong with me?
JEN
I can’t help but drop the sarcastic comments for something more... Distracting, when Bing looks at me the way he just did.
His eyes get this little spark in and the fire slowly spreads outwards, consuming everything and anything between us until everything disappears. The fire suffocates me, wrapping me in a crazy, constricting blanket that cuts off all oxygen leaving him the only source.
It makes me want him even more than I already did.
And it makes me wonder what I’m doing wrong if he can look at me that way and not drag me off to make me feel that heat first hand. I must be the only girl in London he’s resisted, because that’s what he’s doing.
I hand him the whipped cream, and he slides it into the trolley slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. It takes my breath away, and I drop my gaze to my shopping list.
This time, I break under the weight of the feelings snowballing through my body, in f**king Tesco of all places.
This time, he wins.
~
“I cannot believe I’m letting you throw balls of ice at me.”
“It’s not really ice...” Bing says uncertainly.
“It’s cold. It’s frozen water. Its damn ice, and ice is for going in drinks not down my top.” I protest, pulling my zipper up a little higher.
“Who said anything about putting snow down your top?” Bing’s eyebrows go up slightly as if the idea only just occurred to him.
I give him a ‘yeah, right’ look and kick at the snow. “Do we have to? Really?” I look up and children are running around the park, screaming and laughing as parents chuck snowballs at them, build snowmen, and lie back to make snow angels.
Why would you even do that? Lying in snow? Ugh.
“Yes, we do,” Bing says quietly in my ear from behind me and dumps a handful of snow on top of my head. I scream and jump away from him, frantically batting at my head as he laughs.
“Oh my god,” I breathe, my head freezing. “You are the biggest dick in the history of London.”
“No, Jen, I have the biggest dick.” He grins, and I glare at him.
“Have I ever told you I hate you?”
“Oh, so many times.” Bing pulls his hat off, ruffles his dark brown hair, and pulls his hat back down. “When I chased you with a prawn, and pretty every much every time you see me.”
I huff and look at my gloves, covered in snow. “I’m so not cut out for this snow business.”
“It’s not hard.” Bing comes over. “Look.”
He stands behind me and takes my hands, bending me down to gather some snow. He shapes it into a ball and gives it to me.